The Jean Piaget Society (JPS) expresses its concern regarding the situation of the developmental/educational psychologists in Serbian universities. Since November 2024, diverse disruptions of normal academic life have been documented. This situation has created conditions under which scholars and students are unable to fulfill their academic roles.
The JPS maintains that professional integrity, solidarity and support for all members of the academic community must constitute universal tenets, extending beyond campus and nation borders. Ensuring that education and knowledge remain civic goods requires a broad, international commitment to intellectual autonomy and ethical responsibility. Such commitment is vital for universities, faculties and departments sustaining their mission as spaces of independent thought and reflection.
The work and welfare of scholars in general and developmental/educational psychologists in particular are crucial to understanding and meeting ongoing challenges to human development and education.
The JPS affirms its solidarity with students, researchers and professors of developmental and educational psychology in Serbia.
Teaching is….” getting people thinking about interesting and important topics. Having them work out their own ideas, come to their own commitments of what they think about it. Not by somebody else telling them what they should think about it. That came straight from Piaget and Inhelder, and it’s the heart of my work.” Check out our Members Celebration page where Eleanor describes early inspirations of her work on teaching and children’s learning, and the educational roots of the Jean Piaget Society.
Each year JPS bestows several awards to individuals at various points in their scholarly careers. Detailed information regarding nominations can be found at piaget.org/awards. Here is a quick overview.
The Pete Pufall Travel Awards Due date January 6, 2025.
We are pleased to offer two travel awards of $550 each, plus free conference registration, to presenting authors who are Emerging Scholars (see https://piaget.org/emerging-scholars/ for details and https://piaget.org/membership/ for special rates). These awards are made possible by a generous gift of the Pufall Family. Awards are granted to the highest-ranking proposals from Emerging Scholars, with at least one being from a low/middle income country. To be considered for the award, please nominate yourself when you submit your presentation proposal for the annual meeting. Awards will be announced prior to the conference, and monies will be received by awardees at the annual meeting. Emerging Scholars receiving the award, and their presentations, will be highlighted in the program.
NOTE: To be eligible, the first author (presenting author) must be a graduate student or post-doctoral fellow.
Jean Piaget Society Doctoral Dissertation Prize Due date; January 20, 2025.
The Prize, of $2000 plus meeting registration and reasonable travel expenses will be awarded to a new scholar who will deliver at an annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society an address based upon her or his dissertation completed 24 months prior to the submission date on an historical, epistemological or empirical subject, that focuses on the study of knowledge and development. It should be in the broad tradition and spirit of, but not limited to the theories or work of Piaget and Inhelder.
Jean Piaget Society Early Career Award in Developmental Science. Due date: January 20, 2025.
Recognizing individuals’ different career trajectories, nominees must be within 10 years of receiving their Ph.D. Nominations should include a CV and a nomination letter of 2-4 pages describing the nominee’s work, including its coherence and broader impact on the field, as well as a statement regarding how the nominee’s work connects to the mission and aims of JPS. The letter also should describe the nominee’s involvement in the Jean Piaget Society (e.g., membership in the Society and attendance and presentations at annual meetings). Either self-nominations or nominations by others familiar with the nominee’s work are acceptable. The winner will be asked to give a presentation at the JPS 2025 Annual Conference.
Distinguished Contributions to Developmental Science Award. Due Date of Nomination Letter: December 1, 2024.
This award is given based on a nomination letter sent to the President and forwarded to the Awards Committee. It is conferred by vote of the Board. The nomination letter should include descriptions of: (a) contributions to developmental science that are aligned with the aims of the Jean Piaget Society to further an understanding of the developmental construction of knowledge; and (b) the nominee’s involvement with the Jean Piaget Society, which may include Board membership and attendance at, presentations at, or organizing of annual meetings. We are especially interested in scientists who have made important contributions to developmental science and JPS, and we encourage nominations of those whose work has been generative and broadened perspectives in different ways, including through mentorship, collaborations, and interdisciplinary work. Given the nature of the award, it is expected that this award will be given to senior scholars in field. The winner will be asked to give a presentation at the JPS 2025 Annual Conference in Belgrade. Inquiries or nomination letters should be sent to Stuart Marcovitch, President, s_marcov@uncg.edu .
Violence and climate change have forced the relocation of many millions of children and youth worldwide. UNICEF reports that violence alone displaced more than 47 million children by the end of 2023. According to Colette Daiute, these children are not simply removed from one context and dropped into an entirely different one — they are not passive pieces moved about in a geopolitical game outside their understanding and control. Viewed instead as active agents, children create meaning, engage socially, wield resources, define and redefine experience according to their needs.
Colette’s work moves decidedly away from trauma-based approaches in order to explore how children engage with and make sense of disruptive circumstances. As a plenary speaker at our 2025 conference in Belgrade, she will discuss the theory underpinning her scholarship and the unique methodologies she has developed to pursue it.
